Process of keeping aquatic animals alive during transportation.



No. 884,140. l A PAIENTD APR. 7,` 1908.f .Y G. ERLWEIN 6L E. MARQUARDL IPROCESS OFKBEPING AQUATIC ANIMALS ALIVE DURING TRANSPORTATION.

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No. 884,140.v

PROGESS OF KEEPING f FIAB.

:PATENTED APR. I, 1908. G. BRLWEIN@ E. MARQUARDT'. AQUATIQ ANIMALS ALIVEDURING T-RANSBORTATIUN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6. 1906.

SBHEETS-BHEET 2.

j QA( W UNITED PATENT OFFICE.

GEORG ERLWEIN, OF BERLIN, AND AERNST MARQUARDT, OF C HARLOTTENBURG,GERMANY.

PROCESS OF KEEPING AQUATIC ANIMALS ALIVE DURING TRANSPORTATION.

Application led November 6, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORG ERLWEIN, Ph. D., and ERNST MARQUARDT, bothsubjects ofthe German Emperor, and residing at Berlin andCharlottenburg, Germany, -respectively, have invented certain new anduseful Improvementsin a Process of Keeping Aquatic Animals Alive DuringTransportation, of which the following is a speciiication.

As is well known, aquatic animals, especially iish and craylish, may besent short distances without any water, bypacking them,

- which these conditions are complied -with for a great length of time.

A necessary condition according to the present invntion is to preventthe moisture on the ills from evaporating and this is effected ysupplying an oxygen containing' as saturated with water, before it comesmto contact with the moisture on the gills.

Any of the processes known for preserving the animals in waterreservoirsmay be used. It may therefore be effected by conveying atmospheric air,ozone-air, oxygen or a gaseous mixture containing a great amount ofoxygen over the animals. If they are to be transported relatively shortdistances all that is required isto convey oxygen, or a gaseous mixturecontaining oxygen, into the receptacle in which they are kept, which isnot renewed during the transportation. In each case it is howevernecessary to first saturate the gases with moisture, so that themoisture on the gills cannot dry. v

When the aquatic animals are to be transported over long distances thesupply of oxygen is intended, not only to replace the oxygen consumed,but to convey the carbon dioxid breathed out by the animals, out of thereceptacle into the open air, so that during long transports theconsumption of oxygen is not inconsiderable. In order to eiiect a savingin oxy en the fish'are, according to another mode o carrying out theinvention, kept alive in closed receptacles by exposing them to airrichin oxygen saturated with steam or water-vapor,i from which thecarbon dioxid breathed out Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 7, 1908.

Serial No. 342,310.

is removed by solid, pulpy or liquid mediums absorbing carbonio acid,such as caustic lime, caustic potash, caustic soda, or carbonate ofsoda, carbonate of potash or their solutions. -The gas in the receptaclecharged with carbon dioxid moves in natural or me- .chanically producedstreams throu h vessels in the inside or on the outside of t e recetacle for the iish, which are filled with t e medium absorbing carbondioxid. In this way there is not used any more oxygen than the iishreally breathe, while the quantity of the oxygen can be renewed in an eay regulated flow from a source of supply of oxygen,

whereby there is effected a great economy 1n the consumption of oxyglen,and the carbon dioxid is removed nevert eless as required.

The saturation with water-vapDor of the gases in the receptacle iseffected y providing a small water vessel at the bottom of thereceptacle under the compartments into which the fish are placed, or bymeans of damp pieces of cloth hung up in it.

The process has shown that, especially in the case of delicate kinds ofiish, or after the iish have been out of the water for days, the mucouslayer or coating on the body of the fish, with the exception of themucous membrane of the gills, which is protected by the ill-covers, andtherefore in a natural wa ecomes more consistent, and that, probabl;7 onaccount of the defective secretion of mucous, the eliminationofsubstances through the skin of the fish is unfavorably iniiuenced.

of the fish is kept moist in this Way and, on

the other, the rece tacle can be easily and eHectively cooled the wateris previously cooled by ice or other means.

The apparatus serving to carry out the process are shown on theaccompanying drawing in several forms of construction.

Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section through the transporting vessel.Fig. 2 a plan view. Fig. 3 a longltudinal section of a bedded in moss orgrass, or kept in any other suitable way. The vessel 1 is placed into alarger receptacle of wood 3 lined with tinplate 33. To the latter isfastened a bent piece of metal 4, and in this is arranged a press-screw5, by means of which the cover 6 is firmly pressed upon the vessel 1.The space between the outer and inner wall ofthe vessel is filled withice or ice-water.

The regeneration of the moisture on the gills can in the device shown inthe drawing e effected either by a stream of gas, which, after it haspassed through a water reservoir, or better still a sprayingdevice,enters through one of the cocks 7 and 8 and passes out through theother, or also, in the case of trans orts for short distances, through asupply o .pure oxygen or a mixture of gases containing oxygen introducedafter finishing the packing. l

The apparatus shown in Figs. 3 an`d 4 serve to carry out the process inwhich absorbents of carbonic acid are used. According to Fi 3` 31 is thehermetically closed receptac e with perforated walls 32 arranged likestories one above the Aother and perforated partitions 32 for receivingthe single fishes, 9 is a vessel for water at the bottom of thereceptacle, to which oxygen is conveyed from the bottle 11 through thetube 10 or instead of the water vessel, damp pieces of cloth 37 may behung up in the chamber. In the receptacle 31 are distributed the vessels12 containing materials absorbing carbonic acid in any suitable mannerand number.

Fig. 4 shows the apparatus in which the absorption of carbonic acidtakes place in a separate scrubber-like vessel. 41 is a receptacle withthe perforated walls 42, forming compartments, 13 a pump sucking throughthe tube 14 the gases breathed out by the fish from the receptacle andpressing them through the tube 15 into the lower part of the scrubber16. The scrubber 16 contains between sieve-plates 17, 18filling-material 19, such as hollow balls, or other hollow bodies, ofcelluloid, water proof cellulose or papier mch, or of thin metal, sheetmetal, or a similar light material, able to resist bacteria andreducing.. the weight, over which milk of lime or other liquid absorbentof carbon'dioxid is distributed by pump 20., which takes the liquid fromthe bottom of the scrubber 1 6, and 'forces it upward through the tubes21, and 22. rfhe exhaled gas ascends Y the reservoir 59 into tv ereservoir 24.

in the scrubber below the bottom ofthe sieve 17, passes throu h thefilling-material 19,V meets here with t e milk of lime which Hows in theopposite direction, and gives olf to it the carbonic acid, the gaspurilied-returning through the tube 23 into the receptacle 41.

-Vlith the tube 23 is connected, through the closed receptacle for` thefish with the perfo-y rated walls 52 forming compartments;l l59 is thelower, 24 the upper water reservoir cooled by ice 25, through whoseperforated bottom 26 the water is distributed in the receptacle. A pumppresses the s rinkling water from The oxygen is introduced through thetube 50, which is connected with a source of oxygen supply; the gaseseliminated during the introduction of oxygen are led off into the openair through pipe 28.

We claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent the following:

1. The method of keeping aquatic animals alive during transportation,which consists in surrounding them with a moisture-retaining packing andsupplying a moisture laden oxygen-contaming gas.

2. The method of keeping aquatic animals alive during transportation,which consists in surrounding them with a moisture-retaining packing,supplying a moisture laden oxygen-containing gas, and removing thecarbon-dioxid breathed outby the animals.

3, The method of keeping aquatic animals alive during transportation,which consists in surrounding them with a moisture-'retaining packing,supplying a moisture laden oxygen containing as, and removing the carbondioxid breat ed out by the animals, by ab sorption of the same.

4. The method of keeping aquatic animals alive during transportation,which consists in surrounding them with a moisture-retaining packing,supplying a lmoisture laden oxygen-containing gas, removing the carbondioxid breathed out by the animals, by absorption of the same, andresupplying the purified oxygen containing gas. y

5. The method of keeping aquatic animals alive during transportation,which consists in surrounding them with a moisture retaining packing,supplying a moisture-laden oxygen containing gas, and sprinkling themwith water..

- 6,. The method of keeping aquatic animals alive during transportation,which consists in surrounding them with a moisture retaining packing,supplying a moisture-.laden oxy en contalning gas., sprinkling them WithWa er,

and removing the carbon dioxidbreathed* out by the animals.

7. The method of keeping aquatic animals alive during transportatlon,which consists in surrounding themwith a moisture retaining packing,supplying a moisture-laden oxygen containing gas, sprinkling them withWater and removing the carbon 'dioXid breathed out by the animals, byabsorption of the same.

8. The method of keeping aquatic animals alive yduring transportation,Which consists in surrounding them With a moisture retaining packing,supplying a moisture laden oxygencontaining gas, s rinkling them withWater7 removing the car on dioXid breathed out by the animals byabsorption of the same, and resupplying the puried oxygencontaining gas.

In testimony whereof we have signed this speoication in the presence oftwo subscribing Witnesses.

GEORG ERLWEIN. ERNST `MARQUARDT.

Witnesses HENRY HASPER, WOLDERMAR HAUPT.

